Prenatal Yoga for Mothers-To-Be

Pregnancy is a precious time in a woman’s life. It’s also a unique opportunity to explore your mind, spirit and body, and the growth of a new life.

Prenatal yoga is specially designed for the pregnant ladies. It helps with circulation of body and concentration of mind, reduces tension and backpain, and soothes the mood. Robyn Wexler, a full-time yoga teacher at Yoga Yard introduces here a few movements that can be easily practiced at home:

Pose: Bend knees outward and bring soles of feet together. Bring feet in close to pelvic floor. You can rest your knees on blocks here if you find it more comfortable. Inhale and lengthen your spine. Exhale and relax shoulders and thigh.

Breathe: • Close your right nostril with your right thumb, inhale slowly through the left nostril. • Close the left nostril with your ring finger; open the right side and slowly exhale. • Keep the right nostril open, and inhale through it. • Change sides and repeat the same exercise a few times; end with exhale out of left side.

Do: • Use a slow and smooth breathing rhythm for 2-3 minutes. • Finish by exhaling out of the left side. • Continue to sit tall, relax the shoulders. • If you feel strain on hips or knees, use blocks (if you don’t have blocks at home, use thick books) under your thighs.

Don’t: • Do not hold or strain your breath. • Do not panic if you find that one nostril is more blocked than the other. This is normal. • Avoid this pose if you have an incompetent cervix or pelvic floor. • Avoid this pose in case of symphisis pubis dysfunction.

Breathe: • On exhale gently lift the center of your body, rounding your upper back upwards, and draw your tailbone and head down. • As you inhale gently draw your sternum forward while lifting your sitting bones up and tipping the front of your pelvis down. • Repeat the above a few times.

Benefits: • Reduces tension in lower and upper back. • Opens energy through the spine. • Can help to alleviate sciatica.

Don’t: • Do not sink into shoulders. • Be careful not to overstretch the muscles across the belly and front of the body • Do not lift your chin too high while you inhale.

Half Moon: Appropriate for 1 & 2 trimester; can do in 3rd trimester if feels comfortable

Pose: Stand with your back to the wall and widen your feet. Turn left foot out 90 degrees. Place the block ahead of the left foot, in line with your little toe. Bend left knee, shift weight to left foot, rest hand on the block, and slowly lift right leg up. Right foot is flexed. You can keep slight bend in standing leg if more comfortable. To help open across the chest and upper back, raise right arm straight up, as you lengthen down through the left arm. Breathe smoothly and extend spine and open whole body. Breathe smoothly. To release, bend left knee, set right foot on floor and stand upright. Repeat pose on the other side.

Do: • The balancing leg should be directly under the hip. • Roll top hip up to gently open across front pelvis. • Adjust the block until bottom arm is under shoulder

Don’t: • Do not do this pose in case of varicosities. • Do not do this pose if hamstring tears.

Queen: Appropriate for 1, 2 & 3 trimester

Pose: Place a bolster behind you, with a block under the head of it. Sit just in front of the bolster, with your sacrum touching its edge. Roll a blanket and slide it underneath your knees. Bring your feet together and let your knees rest open and down onto the blanket. You should feel plenty of support under both knees.

Lie back so your head and torso rest comfortably on the bolster. Your buttocks will be on the floor.

Close your eyes and rest in this pose for as long as you like. (8 minutes or more is recommended.) Breathe freely. To release, use your hands to draw your thighs and knees towards each other, lengthen your legs, and roll to one side for a few breaths before sitting up.

Do: • If you feel any strain in your hips or thighs, use two blankets to make the roll thicker to provide more support. • Your forehead should be slightly higher than your chin. If your chin is higher than (or level with) your forehead, place a small blanket under your head. • You can place an eye pillow vertically across your forehead.

Don’t: • Leave no space between your sacrum and the edge of the bolster. • You should feel no strain or discomfort in your lower back, nor in your neck. If you do, adjust your pose or the bolster until you feel completely comfortable.

General cautions for pre-natal yoga:

When pregnant, the body produces a hormone called “Relaxin”, which softens your ligaments to make room for the baby and prepare for birth. Thus, you may feel that your body is more flexible than before. But do not go further into poses than you are accustomed to because an over stretched ligament will not easily heal. Avoid poses like twisting, lying on your belly, back bending, closing twists and strong abdomen work in your 2nd and 3rd trimester in order to avoid strain and injuries.

Hot Yoga is not recommended during pregnancy. When pregnant, the body temperature is already slightly higher than usual. A very hot environment puts a lot of pressure on the heart and blood vessels, and could be dangerous for the baby and yourself.

For more information about prenatal and post-natal yoga, contact Yoga Yard at info@yogayard.com or see www.yogayard.com. To learn a few poses for kids yoga, see the magazine article in Playing Inside section.